Comprehensive lighting and building automation upgrades will save the school district nearly $170,000 annually.

Energy and sustainability expert Schneider Electric recently announced it has embarked on a comprehensive energy efficiency project with the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District (NLMUSD) in Los Angeles County, Calif. The project will save the district nearly $170,000 annually, improve the learning environment for students and advance the district’s mission of providing safe, comfortable schools. It also leverages funding secured through the California Clean Energy Jobs Act (Proposition 39), which allows school districts to tackle critical deferred maintenance projects that result in energy savings.

Over the last decade, NLMUSD has struggled to work with and maintain five disparate building automation systems across its 32 facilities. While one system worked well, the others were completely unreliable, causing a slew of issues for building occupants and the district’s maintenance staff. When Proposition 39 funding became available, the district knew it wanted to spend the funding on alleviating its building automation system issues. Schneider Electric worked with the district to install and integrate new building automation systems at seven priority sites and install new exterior LED lighting at the district’s three comprehensive high schools, improving campus energy efficiency and safety.

“We are committed to providing a safe and comfortable learning environment for our students,” said Hasmik Danielian, Superintendent, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District. “By partnering with an energy expert who took the time to understand our needs and has deep experience with Proposition 39 projects, we were able to make our wish list of improvements a reality.”

Most construction was completed during the summer months to minimize the impact on students, faculty and staff. The remaining work will be complete by December 2017.

“Our students and staff are going to benefit greatly from the numerous improvements to our classrooms and facilities,” said Sean Reagan, Board President, Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District. “The project will also help us reduce our environmental impact.”

In addition to annual energy savings, the project will have a positive environmental impact, removing 520 metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere, which is equivalent to taking 112 passenger vehicles off the road or powering 67 homes for one year.

“K-12 schools across the country are facing long lists of unmet deferred maintenance needs as facilities age and school budgets continue to decline,” said Kathleen Neff, CA K-12 Account Executive, Schneider Electric. “Our proven track record with securing maximum Proposition 39 funding as well as our quick delivery method enables schools to take on needed and long overdue facilities projects that make a big difference to students, staff and the community.”

Schneider Electric has developed highly successful energy efficiency projects for many school districts across California, securing over $65 million in Proposition 39 funding and generating more than $4.4 million in annual energy savings.